A Repository
by Iulia
Summary: /Oneshot Collection/Chapter II/Let it Snow/SasuSaku/SlightSasuKarin/ Why did she just stop, frown, and brush past him without a single word? It was mind-boggling, inexplicable – and he wanted to know the reason behind it.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** A shameful amount of fluff can be found in this fic, but it's the first and only thing I've been able to actually _finish_ writing in a while and I'm incredibly happy with it despite its… fluff-induced shallowness… XD So meh.. meeeeh.. I hope you guys enjoy this. ^^

**Disclaimer:** Naruto's not mine.

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**That which is

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**

"Epic."

That was, she remembered, the term she used to describe her love story – or at least, what she envisioned of it – to an inebriated Ino.

Seventeen years old and still filled with the most idealistic notions about _everything, _Sakura was able to say it with the quiet determination of a girl in love.

"_Our love – it will conquer all."_

She was, quite regrettably, inebriated herself back then, and was therefore given to sporadic bouts of tasteless poetry; an influence, no doubt, of her emergent friendship with a certain spandex-wearing nin.

They – she and Ino – were celebrating the world that night, savoring how 'open' it suddenly seemed.

She had compared herself to Juliet and him to Romeo, sans the depressing ending. '_The worst is over_', she had told Ino, '_Nothing's going to stop us now_.'

Of course, her confidence was not entirely unfounded. They had, after all, just finished saving the world as they knew it from a deranged megalomaniac who threatened to turn everyone into obedient zombies with the use of the moon. Said 'Romeo' was actually on the wrong side – i.e. he was with the megalomaniac who just happened to be his uncle – but he turned good at the last minute and saved the 'future Hokage' from certain death, successfully earning his redemption by being invaluable to the whole process of 'saving the world'. The interference had almost cost him his life, but thankfully, she was there to patch him up.

And really, after a fiasco like that, what else could stop them?

The answer was, she found out, _a lot of things_.

Sasuke, she discovered, was really full of silly flaws beneath all his psychosis and neurosis.

He was, for one thing, traditional to the point of being a complete and utter embarrassment.

He didn't hear any declarations of love from him, but her parents certainly did.

They found out about his feelings and his 'intentions' before she did. And that, she thought, was just the biggest let down of all.

She had just come home from a tiring shift at the hospital, wanting nothing else but a hot shower and some nice, much-deserved sleep, when Sasuke surprised her by emerging from her house's front door.

"Sakura", he said in lieu of a greeting as if there was nothing unusual about the situation.

"Wha—", she said stupidly.

She wanted to ask him a lot of things, but he was already gone by the time she had gathered her wits enough to process the event.

And as much as she wanted to badger him about what he was doing – or rather, what he did (part of her was worried that Sasuke finally snapped and she would find her parents on the floor, drowning in their own blood, but that was silly, wasn't it? Sasuke-kun wouldn't… would he?) – in her house, she figured she would find out soon enough anyway, so she decided not to follow him right then and there.

Which was a mistake.

Because the moment she stepped into the threshold of what should have been her haven, she was met with one of the most absurd moments of her life.

"Congratulations Sakura!", her mother declared after enveloping her only daughter in a fierce hug.

"Wha—", she said stupidly for the second time that day.

"He loves you!"

It took her a moment to realize who 'he' was, and when she did, it did not really help in elucidating the situation one bit.

"Uh, no, mom, _I_ love _him._", she deadpanned as she patted the over-excited woman on the shoulder, not really wanting to be reminded of the unrequited state of her seven-year old love for the said boy.

"No, you silly girl, _he_ loves _you._"

"Mom—"

"I have to say, Sakura, you did quite well for yourself. That Uchiha Sasuke is quite a catch. Impeccable manners. Such excellent—"

Sakura wriggled out of her mom's arms then and faced both her parents, scared and expecting the worst, but trying her best to look threatening.

"Dad. Mom_. Explain."_

Anybody else would have been intimidated, but apparently, _not them._

Her dad grinned and her mom giggled. They infuriated her, really, but she was their daughter and she was doomed – _nay, cursed –_ to love them.

"We," her dad began, pointing to himself and to his wife, "just gave Uchiha Sasuke permission to _court_ you!"

"Court," her mom snickered, "Why, honey, even during our time that term was already considered archaic. I didn't know people still _did_ that—oh but, Sakura, this is just so cute, I should have made your father do that—"

Her mother trailed off, her words dissolving into a fit of silly little giggles as she _cavorted_ with her husband.

But by then, Sakura was already gone, sheer embarrassment pushing her to be twice as speedy as she usually was.

That day, she went to the forest and unleashed her fury upon the hapless trees.

Shikamaru and Ino had begun their relationship with a passionate 'how troublesome' kiss. Naruto and Hinata had their 'ramen noodle' kiss, Neji and Tenten had their 'compromised position during training' kiss. And they, Sasuke and Sakura, had _this—_this—_this _which was not even a 'this'!

Exhausted, she plopped down on the grass and surveyed the damage.

Her frustration was enough to make tears well up.

"I suppose I should have told you first."

The voice startled her out of her reverie, and she quickly blinked the tears out of her eyes.

"Yes, you should have", she bit out.

Sasuke sat beside her then, after dropping a bouquet of flowers on her lap.

The silence stretched out between them, awkward and stifling, which made Sakura decide to break it. But then Sasuke surprised her by speaking first.

"I thought—I didn't anticipate that the _feeling_ was no longer mutual", he murmured, almost inaudible in the rustling wind.

Sakura looked at him, confused at what exactly the boy meant by 'feeling'. And then it dawned on her—

"Oh, no, it's—"

"Sakura, it's okay. You don't have to force yourself. If you're _this_," he gestured at the destroyed greenery, "averse to the idea of me courting you, then—"

He was cut off by a kiss.

It was an angry kiss, with years of pent up frustration driving it.

But Uchiha Sasuke was nothing if not an 'alpha male', and soon enough, he had taken the impetus from her, one hand on the back of her head, leading, _controlling_.

The kiss lasted several minutes.

When they separated, they were both breathing heavily and looking at each other with a sort of dazed look that said, 'what the hell just happened?'.

But Sakura recovered quickly, so she grabbed the bouquet and threw it at Sasuke's face.

"_That_ is how you should've done it, Sasuke. You don't just go to a girl's parents and ask for permission to _court _her! _Court,_ Sasuke, court! Just what century do you think you're living in, huh?"

"But tradition—"

"To hell with tradition!"

And then she pulled him into another kiss.

That night, she tried to salvage what was left of the bouquet he had given her and pressed some of the flowers in between the pages of her medical textbooks, a small smile adorning her lips.

Looking back, perhaps she might have over-reacted. After all, a confession was a confession, even if it was her parents who heard it and not her. It would just have to do.

Besides, they were together now, and that was what mattered ultimately, wasn't it?

Apparently not.

Uchiha Sasuke, she found out, was an utter _pain_ to be with.

It wasn't because of all his emotional baggage, which was what everyone automatically assumed. She was particularly talented in handling him during the 'tough times', and he was surprisingly open to her help. When she expressed her surprise at his willingness to 'share', he only remarked that it was an expected part of being in a relationship – it was a degree of maturity that she had not expected in him, but made her inordinately pleased nevertheless.

However, about four years after they had started 'dating' – and not _courting_, a voice in her head supplied – they had moved in together (Though he was averse to the idea at first, insisting that the proper order was 'marriage then moving in'. In the end, he had been able to do nothing about the things she had smuggled into his home while he was away on a mission. And really, it didn't take a lot of _convincing_ to make him see the merits of living together.), and she was finally exposed to all the little quirks in his personality.

One, he did not like it when she wrinkled the bedding. He harped at her whenever she did while smoothing the said wrinkles out like a nagging nursemaid.

"Sakura—", he would begin and she would fight the urge to cover her ears, "how many times do I have to tell you that you should—"

_Bla-bla-bla-bla-bla_, inner Sakura would finish.

In fact, he didn't like it when she messed up _anything_.

So anal was he about having everything in proper order, especially _his_ kitchen, that Sakura eventually gave up trying to become the 'housewife', contenting herself in having him as the 'househubby', so to speak.

It destroyed all her childish daydreams of her serving his breakfast, but hey, he made a mean hotdog – perfectly crisp and perfectly juicy, with delicious, ripe tomatoes on the side – so who was she to argue?

Two, he had this annoying habit of correcting her grammar and her pronunciation, even if his was far from perfect.

"—so we went to this small town to gather some herbs."

"_Herbs_, Sakura, not _erbs."_

"_Herbs.", _she would grind out.

"_Hn.", _he would grunt.

And inside, every time, she would seethe.

Three, he was logical to the point of absurdity and always, without fail, made the most sound and inarguable reasons.

Sometimes, she even wondered how someone who had that much logic could decide to go to an insane Sannin for training.

And really, where did that guy who laughed like an evil villain go?

"You're right, Sasuke-kun." _Again._

"Of course."

Four, those flowers she got on the fateful confession day – well, they were the first and last.

"They wilt too quickly, Sakura. But if you _really_ want some for your vase, then I can buy you some artificial ones."

Which brings her back to reason number three.

_He_ annoys _her_ to no end.

But despite all his little flaws, Sasuke was loyal, kind, and more than she could ever ask for, really.

So now, twenty-three years old, once again inebriated, once again celebrating the world and how open it is, but most significantly, sporting a ring that had been his mother's, Sakura knows one thing for certain.

And this, she tells Ino, with complete confidence.

'Epic' has nothing to do with their love story.

They're not Romeo and Juliet.

They're Sasuke and Sakura.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

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**Fin.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Sooo... I've decided to turn this into a series of oneshots where Sasuke - who is, let's admit, not exactly a cassanova - blotches his confessions of 'undying love'. This one actually had an entirely different plot when I first wrote it - an angst one, in particular - but somehow that one didn't sit well with me. So I fixed it (somewhat) and now here it is- SasuSaku CRACK and fluff. Actually, no, I'll just make it a collection of oneshots of all genres because it's tiring to have to make a new story each time, but mostly fluff because it's the only thing I seem capable of writing these days. XD So yeah, here, i hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

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**Let it Snow**

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_Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow._

Sasuke sighed – the third sound of discontent that managed to wedge its way from his usually tightly sealed lips for today. It was becoming impossible to concentrate on his mission scroll; and he found that the more he tried, the more difficult it seemed to become.

But he was not a fool and he was nothing if not observant; he knew exactly why he was distracted.

_Sakura_ was listening to Christmas songs with Ino as they both made Christmas-themed flower arrangements by the crackling hearth.

And the happy sounds were turning him into a melancholic mess.

Normally, he would just walk up to her and tell her to turn the 'damn' radio off. But he was in a dilemma: he and Sakura weren't exactly on speaking terms.

He did not know why this was so, just that she stopped talking to him one day.

He remembered that he was waiting for her outside of the hospital, just as he had been doing for about three months. Normally, she would stop, smile, and they would walk together, talking – well, _she_ talked anyway, while he made unintelligible grunts. They were comfortable with each other and well on their way to a relationship; or at least, he thought so (If he had to admit, though, he still wanted solid proof that she still felt the same way for him).

He was not stupid, he had liked her since he was a child - since that fateful day at Wave, actually - but he had dismissed the feeling as yet another frustration in his life, another source of pain, another tragedy, another thing stolen from him.

He hadn't believed that he would have a second chance.

And yet, here it was, his second chance. At nineteen years old, he found his way back into the village courtesy of Naruto and Sakura. In the end, they were still 'precious' to him, and he found himself unable to watch them die. It was a startling realization, one that shook him to the core. But as he charged at Madara and thwarted the megalomaniac's plan, he knew that, for once, what he was doing was right—

-so really, what happened?

He hadn't even done anything _wrong_… well, at least, not recently. But still, he thought she was over _that!_ She couldn't _still_ be angry because of that _incident_ at the bridge after the Danzou fight, could she?

No, no, she couldn't. She said so herself.

So why did she just stop, frown, and brush past him without a single word?

It was mind-boggling, inexplicable – and he wanted to know the reason behind it.

It was frustrating, he thought bitterly, how Sakura had decided to act like an Ice Queen all of a sudden.

He even followed her for a few steps, called out her name, and asked her what was wrong. But she just looked back, glared at him like he was the _repository of all sin,_ and promptly walked away.

Well, he thought bitterly, pride taking over, if that was how things were going to be, then he would gladly oblige her. He did, after all, have more experience in being the cold bastard.

So he walked away in the opposite direction, leaving a trail of words unsaid in his wake.

But now he would have none of it, silent feud or no, he would make her stop that infernal sound of merriment. There was no way that he was going to leave whenever she came along (never mind that it was what he was doing for the past few days). It was incredibly uncomfortable, or as Nara would have it, 'troublesome'. He was an Uchiha, he was a man, he was Sasuke, and he would have none of it.

Besides, there was a frightful snowstorm outside, and he had no desire to get his coat wet.

Resolute, he strode towards the two women and, looking straight at his target, he spoke.

"Sakura."

The girl in question did not answer, merely sent her friend a pleading look that melted into an accusatory one as the latter stood up to leave them be.

When they were alone, though, Sasuke found that he had little to say. In fact, the two of them lapsed into an awkward silence that neither seemed willing to break. Sasuke was just standing there, looking anywhere but on his teammate. And Sakura was just fiddling with the flower arrangement, pretending to be busy, but truly getting nothing done. She looked positively forlorn.

And he, well, all that righteous anger had seeped out of him, and now he simply felt… tired.

Finally, Sasuke sighed – the fourth sound of discontent.

"Look, if you no longer want to associate with me", he began, his voice sounding a bit too raspy for his liking, "at least say it to my face."

Sakura did not reply but at least she stopped what she was doing and finally looked up at him. Sasuke, however, closed his eyes and continued, thereby missing the confused look that crossed his teammate's face. He was, however, profoundly aware of the ache that had settled somewhere in his chest.

"I may have done some things that I am not proud of. And I may have acted foolishly at times. But here I am, I'm willing to make amends. I—"

"Sasuke-kun—"

"I understand that I may be undeserving of such forgiveness, but you, you and Naruto, have always been insistent on giving me a second chance. So, I do not understand why you have suddenly gone silent—"

"Sasuke-kun!"

"—I thought you to be above such cruelty, that I could at least count on you to—"

"Sasuke!"

"—What?"

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at her in annoyance, irked that his heartfelt apology (accusation) was disrupted, but he was surprised to see her shaking her head vigorously.

"This isn't about your past 'sins'", she spat the word out like it was venom before continuing, "well, maybe it is, but certainly not what you're thinking about."

"Then—for God's sake, Sakura, what?"

But the girl had gone silent, a red tinge occupying her cheeks.

"Never mind, Sasuke, I forgive you now. In fact, there's nothing to forgive. I was foolish to—"

But she hadn't, if the lack of the usual honorific was any indication.

"Sakura—"

"It doesn't matter, okay, I forgive you. We're going back to normal."

There was an air of finality in her tone, but he would have none of it.

"Sakura, tell me."

The girl seemed to mull it over her head before finally looking up at him and glaring – quite fiercely. If he was anyone else, he would most likely have moved back a step.

"Fine. Do you really want to know?"

Before he could give his assent, she continued in an angry torrent, seemingly unstoppable now that she had gained the impetus.

"It's because you're a manwhore!"

"A what?"

"A manwhore, Sasuke!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Sakura?"

"I'm talking about Karin, you shameless slut!"

"Slut—what?"

Never, never in his life had he imagined that 'slut' would be a term used to describe him. Devil, traitor, bastard – sure – but never 'slut'.

"Karin, Sasuke, Karin! You know, that red head that you ran through with your sword!"

"Oh."

"Well, apparently, your sword wasn't the only thing that you run through her!"

"B-but that was a long time ago!"

He stuttered! Oh God, he stuttered. But Sakura's anger was overwhelming and her fist was raised threateningly and – really, how could Naruto stand to be at the receiving end of it all the time?

Sasuke braced himself for the forthcoming blow, but there wasn't any. He opened first one eye, surprised that he had closed them in the first place, then the other.

"You're right. It _was_ a long time ago. And it's not like I have any right to be angry—so, really, Sasuke, there's nothing to forgive. Just go away. Now. Please."

"Sakura—"

"Besides, Karin said that it wasn't much anyway—"

"What?"

"—that you were too concerned with your own pleasure that you didn't realize she wasn't getting any."

"…"

"She even asked for a _douche_ to clean herself of your 'dirt', even though I told her that said 'dirt' was already four years old and therefore immaterial."

"…"

"But really—Sasuke—really. _Fifteen years old? _ You're sluttier than Naruto! Than Sai!"

"Sakura—"

"I would never have expected it from you."

"—is that really why you're bothered?"

"No—yes, yes it is. You're a disgusting manwhore!", she spat venomously.

Sasuke knew that he was possibly facing decapitation with his next question and it was a very risky gamble, but if he played his cards right – and if he got lucky – he would find what he had been searching for these past several months.

"Sakura—"

"…"

"Sakura."

"What?"

"Are you jealous?"

"No!" – was what she said, but the flush that crept up on her cheeks and on her neck said otherwise.

At that, Sasuke smirked – but it was more of a smile, really, and to Sakura's surprise, she found that it was oddly contagious. Soon enough, she found herself suppressing her own mirth. _Did she really call him a slut? _And as angry as she was at the boy, she found that she couldn't stay that way for long, not when he finally_finally_ sounded happy.

As such, she settled for punching him, softly, almost playfully.

"You jerk."

Sasuke caught one of her fists in his hand, then knotted their fingers together. She was looking at him with such an expression of surprise, and he found himself melting at the sight of all the _love_ hidden in those green eyes of hers.

Unable to stop himself, he said that words that would be his own undoing—

"If it's any consolation, I only thought of _you_ while I was doing it—"

"YOU JERK!"

-that he found himself sprawled on the ground the next second, sporting a major headache and a possibly broken nose – well, that was nobody's fault but his own.

"You're possibly more stupid than Naruto, Sasuke-kun. And would that count as your confession of undying love? I can't believe you just said—"

He was dizzy, and her words were lost on him, but then she was already healing him, and he knew he would be okay pretty soon, and it felt nice, really, her hands—

_But as long as you love me so…_

It struck him suddenly that the radio was still spouting silly songs of Christmas cheer.

But he didn't mind, not anymore.

_Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

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_

**End.

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**

"_You'd better watch out, though, Sasuke-kun. Karin's already spreading rumors about how bad you are in bed all over Konoha." _

"…"

"_In fact, she told me to tell you that she's an __**avenger**__ too."_

_Sasuke sighed – the fifth sound of discontent that managed to wedge its way from his usually tightly sealed lips for today. _


End file.
